Show time for Mousa Dembele

I would not have known much about our new signing Lewis Holtby – because I don’t watch European matches.

Mousa Dembele

Not surprising for a man who prefers the footlights of West End theatres to football.

In fact, Tottenham’s talented Belgian positively spurns the chance of watching the game on TV, instead heading out to watch musicals.

His favourite is Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. He has now seen it three times and knows most of the songs.

Dembele said: “I can’t watch football, it gets boring after a while. I don’t know much about it.

“I would not have known much about our new signing Lewis Holtby – because I don’t watch European matches.

“Now he’s here I can see why Spurs have signed him, a great talent.”

Welcome to Planet Dembele, whose beat is certainly out of tune with the rest of the Premier League’s footballers. He’s laid-back, calm and dreams not just of scoring but scoring the perfect goal.

He said: “When I was young I never shot. I always wanted to dribble the ball into the goal. I didn’t want to shoot because I didn’t like to but it’s different now.

“It is about scoring the perfect goal. I started out as a striker, modelled myself on Patrick Kluivert but I didn’t like waiting for the ball. I wanted it all the time.”

He will enjoy facing West Brom today, if only to see his great friend Romelu Lukaku, on loan at the Baggies from Chelsea and someone he has known since nine years of age.

“He is a wonderful talent. He will be a big star one day,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dembele claims Spurs fans have yet to see him at his best.

Since a £5million move to Fulham from AZ Alkmaar, his rise in English football has been swift.

He attracted interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United before moving to Spurs for £15m last August.

He is also part of an exciting Belgium team which boasts Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Lukaku and Jan Vertonghen – Dembele’s team-mate at White Hart Lane who he has known since aged 11.

“I don’t know how this has happened to Belgian football,” he added. “Who knows? Maybe it is all a concidence but we are having fun.”